My Love/Hates

In my spare time I think of weird and random things. Here's a list of things that I hate...but love. Weird right?


1. Makeup. I hate the way makeup feels on my face. I hate how you never really know if it's going to look good on you before you buy it (unless of course you try it on before you buy it but you don't get that option at a drug store or wal-mart/target). I hate when you walk into a department store, the scary ladies that work at the makeup counters try to give you make overs but they look like hookers on a Sunday morning. BUUUTTT, I like how it hides my acne and the dark circles around my eyes. It just makes me look better but it's such a pain in the butt!

2. Shopping for clothes (bathing suits and bras). Why is it so hard to find a pair of jeans/pants that fit? A size 8 in one store doesn't fit the same way as a size 8 in a different store. I hate that you have to try on 50 pairs to find 1 pair that fits right. Same with shirts...I can wear a size small-xlarge depending on what store it is. Isnt that messed up? Trying to find a bra is impossible! I try on hundreds of bras in different stores to find 1 old lady looking bra because my boobs aren't popping out of it and lace isn't itching the crap out of me! Same with bathing suits...I hate how they think if you have big boobs...that your butt will be big. Unfortunately, clothes shopping is something we all have to do because we can't walk around naked all the time.

3. Tanning. I hate the smell of the tanning lotion. I hate when you hop into a tanning bed it's freezing cold and then in 4 minutes you're sweating to death. The most unenjoyable part is when you do begin to sweat, the lotion starts leaking out of your pores and then you slide around the tanning bed. It's just disgusting. Oh, don't forget that you end up smelling like burnt meat...yum! But I do enjoy not being pasty white...maybe I should start tanning again.

4. Perfume. I love perfume! I love that it makes me smell good and it just makes me happy when I spray it on...with that being said, I hate when you buy a new bottle of perfume and you have to use up your old bottle first. I swear the old bottle because this never-ending spray and it's irritating because you really want to switch scents!

5. Sweets. I hate the everything yummy and delicious has so much fat and calories in it that in turn causes me to gain weight!

6. Coupons. Don't get me wrong, I love saving money and getting a deal! Some coupons lie to us! I recently clipped one for batteries...if you buy 2 you save a $1.00 or something along those lines. When I went to pick up my 2 packages of batteries...even with the coupon I would have been spending 40 cents more over buying the bigger package of batteries. LAME! I enjoy 50% off coupons!

7. Flu Shots. I think flu shots are the devil! Yes, please inject my body with a virus so I can get sick...and then probably get sick again. No thanks! (I say this now because I've never had the bad flu that this shot prevents...knock on wood). I think working at schools and with a bunch of kids gives my immune system the boost it needs to ward off evil viruses. I'm sure some shots are important though.

8. Insects. They gross me out! They're so nasty looking and when you kill them they make a nasty crunching sound. I hate that they can fly and crawl and walk on ceilings...yuck! Wait...is there anything good about insects...I'm sure they do something important for the earth.

9. Moving. Moving just sucks! The packing, the loading, the unloading, and then unpacking. It's time consuming and miserable and you will find that you have tons of crap that you don't know what to do with, but don't want to throw away. Let's not forget moving involves leaving jobs and friends and everything that you once knew. The plus of moving is that you get to live in a new house, a new location, and meet new people and do different things.

And now I'm suddenly hungry so I'm going to stop with my list and go eat...probably something that tastes really good but horrible for me ;)

Ravioli Bake

So, I've been trying to eat healthier and have incorporated a vegetarian diet now for a couple of months. Nathan thinks I'm stupid and will die from not having enough protein. Yes, because all our protein comes in the form of meat...not!

Since I'm the one that does all the cooking, I'm trying to please everyone. Well, the other night we were all starving and I didn't thaw out any dead animals for Nathan to eat so I ended up trying a new recipe from the Kraft magazine called Food & Family. It's called Ravioli Bake and it's supper yummy for vegetarians and meat eaters! Sorry I have no pictures of this, we were starving and ate it all! ***UPDATE***I made this again and remembered to take a picture of it before we all ate it!

Ravioli Bake

• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce


• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained


• 1/2 cup water


• 2 pkg. (1 lb each) frozen cheese ravioli


• 1 pkg (7oz) Shredded Italian Cheese Blend


• 2 TBS Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and water; spoon 1 cup onto bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Layer half the ravioli and 1 cup shredded cheese over sauce mixture. Top with remaining ravioli and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; cover. Bake for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and let stand for 10 minutes.

***TIP***Feel free to add in other veggies, I threw in some sliced mushrooms. If you like eggplant that would be a good addition, although I think it tastes pretty gross. Don't be afraid to add in some seasonings either. I added salt, pepper, oregano, basil; things that I add in my spaghetti sauce.

This recipe is easy to make, easy to clean up, and tastes amazing. Pair it with a salad and some garlic toast and you're a domestic goddess!

Making Friends

Why is this so hard for me?

When I was little, I was extremely shy but I still had lots of friends. In high school, I started to come out of my shell and was friends with everyone. In college...oh college, there were no strangers! Everyone was a friend or a potential friend. College years were awesome, maybe it had something to do with the mass quantities of alcohol being consumed by everyone.

So what happened in the past 5 years that made making friends so hard for me?

I don't believe it's because I'm shy. I'll be honest, I just don't know what to say to people and then I get nervous and then I start having mini panic attacks. Not exactly the best way to introduce yourself to someone.

I don't really meet new people all that often. When I was working, I had my work friends (how I miss them). I guess I could go get a job, but then I'm going to have to find a sitter for Emma and right now I'm not comfortable leaving my daughter with a stranger (I still don't know the area all that well and you could say go to a daycare...there are some shady looking daycares around here). Nathan brings his friends and their families over here. Not yet though because he finally just finished inprocessing. Don't get me wrong, I like when we have company over here but sometimes I feel like he's bringing people over so I can become mandatory friends with. Our neighbors...so far I haven't seen any except the ones that live across the street and they're in their 70's...with hearing aids. So please don't say...go introduce yourself to your neighbors.

I found, in the past, that I can become friends with people who are outgoing and likes to talk alot. I guess because I don't have to think of things to say all the time and what to do. Yeah, maybe I'm a follower but it's okay with me.

I just thought of this, but sometimes I can be perceived as a bitch because I don't talk alot...it's not because I don't like you, etc...it's because I have no idea what to say and I don't want to come across as stupid so I don't say anything at all...and I guess that comes across as bitchy....sorry!

I watch Emma make friends...maybe I should take a hint from her. She just runs up to kids and starts following them around. She waves to every kid she can see. Maybe I should try these tactics.

Posting an ad on craigslist might look a bit desperate and creepy...

How can I make friends...and not have a panic attack?

Moving = Spending $$$$$

What happens when you move 1,000 miles south to a new state into a big house? You spend money! I've always taken pride in finding the best deal or a good bargain but moving has totally messed up my bargain hunting skills.

What did we spend money on?

Well, our packers/movers did an excellent job and only damaged one thing...our TV stand. It was a Better Home & Garden TV stand, made from cheap particle board purchased at Wal-Mart a year and a half ago. The top part where the TV goes was broken off. The mover assured us that we can, "just put some of that umm wood glue and it'll fix it right up". Seriously, you want us to put our flat screen on something being held together by wood glue. No thanks. Unfortunately since it was made out of particle board, they're not liable for it (yeah I had to sign a waiver).

Nathan and I plan on moving again (it's what we do, thank you Army) and instead of having broken TV stands all the time, we thought we would purchase a real stand from a real furniture store (yeah, if the movers break this one, they're liable for it). These can get pricey! So we just blew $500 on a beautiful TV credenza (we didn't purchase the fancy hutch that goes on top). So now I feel all this guilt because it was a lot of money.

Another big purchase was Emma's bed. Before we moved we sold her 4-in-1 crib. We went back and forth on buying her a twin, bunk beds, or a queen (for guests to sleep on when they visit). Finally my sad attempt at being a thrifty shopper settled on a twin with just the mattress, box springs, and frame. No need for a headboard/footboard. We jazzed it up with a canopy, that she loves! Although we saved a few hundred on not buying a headboard/footboard, we still spent a lot of money on the bed and sheets and comforter, etc. So now I feel guilty about that.

Another unnecessary purchase we just had to have was all the little pretty stuff for our fireplace. Okay it's not little it's massive candle holders, and a big globe and other worldly looking things. We spent a little over $100 (and yes I even had a coupon) at Hobby Lobby just on fireplace things. Unnecessary, yes...ties the room together heck yes! Do I feel guilty...yes! We could have spent $100 on all the new food we had to buy.

So what am I suppose to do? How am I suppose to recover from a week of excessive spending? I guess I could stop feeling guilty and start being happy that the house is now becoming a home. Nathan and I need to sit down and go over all the money we've spent in the past few weeks (we drove a lot of miles and visited many places to eat). We need to get back on track with our budget and I need to get into a routine.

I think routines are important when it comes to saving money. One example is cooking dinner at a certain time, it insures that you'll eat at home and not spend money going out to eat. We've been working on the house and loosing track of time and before we know it, it's already 7:30pm. Should I cook or should we go out? Going out usually wins. I need to get back into my money saving routine, I miss it!

I would like to hear from you, you're feelings when you spend a large amount of money on certain items. Does it make you feel good, sick to your stomach, guilty, etc? Did you save money for it or was it an impulse buy? How do you get back on track after you spend, spend, spend?

Paper vs Cloth

A few months ago I made the switch from paper products to cloth products. I stopped using paper towels and paper napkins. I also stopped using paper plates.

Stopping the use of paper plates was the easiest thing to do. How hard is it to reach for a real plate over a paper one? No more leaky plates that make messes and less trash in my trash can. I replaced my paper napkins with cloth napkins that I had as "decor" napkins. Seriously, how lame am I, I had pretty napkins that I only used to decorate my table. Why not use them? Paper towels took the longest to get use to not having around. Anytime I had a spill, I used a paper towel. Anytime Emma had something on her face, use a paper towel. We were going through rolls of paper towel like it was going out of style.

Why did I decide to take the cloth route over paper...one reason was to save money, the other reason was to create less paper waste and to better the world.

For those of you who still use paper products, think about how many times you have to replace these items at the store. How much money do you spend on them? I only bought name brand paper towels because I thought they worked the best. It was an expensive purchase, now I don't have to worry about spending money on these items or having to lug around a huge case of paper towels or a huge sack of paper plates.

Trust me, when you switch to cloth napkins you do NOT use as many as paper napkins! Cloth napkins don't really get that soiled during a meal, so we usually keep ours folded on the back of our chairs so we can reuse it and so we'll know whose napkin is whose. Of course, if for some reason you're napkin is really dirty, I don't expect you to keep reusing it. (Sometimes after a spaghetti dinner it's impossible to have a clean napkin). We do not do a separate load of laundry for napkins. I'll throw them in the wash with whatever load is less full. Doing this cuts down on water waste. A good tip to save some money when buying cloth napkins is going to a second hand store or a garage sale and finding some cool napkins. If you're crafty, make your own.

What do I use instead of paper towels? A wash cloth and dish towel. I was using paper towels to clean mirrors and windows, but I use cut up t-shirts for those kind of jobs.

I use real plates over paper plates. Yes, this might cause you to wash a few more dishes at the end of the day but I can live with that. Just be smart when you do dishes. Don't let the water run! I tend to wash up all my dishes and place them in the other half of the sink, then when that gets full, I'll rinse them off. This just helps with not wasting water. ***TIP***If you make a sandwich and you're like, "ahh I really don't want to dirty a plate" use your cloth napkin. And then when you're done, empty the crumbs in the trash can and then reuse it for the next meal.

I dare you to give up your paper products! After just a few days, you'll realize how easy it is to live without them and you'll never have to buy them again. Plus, you'll feel good about saving trees and creating less waste in our landfills :)

Vegan Corn Bread

So what happens when you haven't gone to the grocery store in over a week and it's time for dinner??? You improvise, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. In this case, it worked!

We're getting ready to move so I've been trying to use up all the food in the freezer and fridge. I'm doing a good job of this except we've run out of things we use everyday, like milk, bread, and eggs. I didn't realize this until it was too late.

I planned on making Emma and myself some turkey steaks and green beans for dinner but I wanted some bread to go along with it and guess what, Emma ate the last piece of bread for lunch so I thought I would make some corn bread (I have a huge bag of corn meal just sitting in my pantry). So I start measuring out all my dry ingredients and then I read that I need milk and an egg. Crap! I don't have milk or eggs. So I started improvising and this is what I came up with.

Vegan Corn Bread

• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 TBL sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 heaping TBL applesauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients. Add your milk, applesauce, and oil. Beat for about 1 minute, until the batter is fairly smooth. Pour into greased 9in cake pan or 8in square dish and bake for 18-20 minutes.

This corn bread is fairly sweet and really moist! I'm not a big fan of dry corn bread with no taste (like Cracker Barrel's corn muffins). This also was the biggest piece of corn bread I've ever had. It's easily double the thickness of a store bought mix. For the non vegans, adding a big dollop of butter and honey would make this even better...which I did and enjoyed!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I bought the ingredients weeks ago to make my homemade laundry detergent but I still had my expensive store bought laundry detergent to use up...well last night I finally got the chance to use my homemade soap! I'm so excited to blog about this because it's seriously the coolest thing I've done in months.

What possessed me to even want to try to make homemade laundry detergent? Well, I honestly don't know. I'm trying to live a "greener" more frugal life and buying expensive store bought laundry detergent in huge plastic containers isn't really part of that life style. That and the fact that it was summer vacation and I was bored might have played a role too.

What all do you need to make it? Only a few ingredients, most of which you probably have in your house right now.

• 1 cup of washing soda (It's found in the laundry section at your grocery store. I use Arm & Hammer)
• 1/2 cup of borax (You can buy this at Wal-Mart)
• 1 bar of soap (Whatever is cheap, I used Ivory)

You take your bar of soap and grate it until it's a fine powder (I bought a grate at a thrift store for 50 cents to use just for making detergent). You then put it in a container or glass jar (recycle, I used an empty yogurt container that I washed up) along with the washing soda and borax. Put the lid on and shake for 2-3 minutes, until everything is all mixed up.

At this point, you can check it out and see if it looks like a fine powder. I thought mine could use an extra mix so I threw it all in the blender and mixed it for a few seconds. That did the trick! When I went to go do a load of laundry I started up the washer then added my 2 Tablespoons of the detergent and also a scoop of a generic brand of oxyclean (I use this even when I used my expensive detergent). This will make about 2 cups, which is roughly 16 full loads of laundry. If you only have a small load, don't use the full 2 TBL. You could always double, triple, or even quadruple this batch if you do a lot of laundry.

One big difference in homemade detergent over store bought is the lack of bubbles. Mine had no bubbles so this detergent would be great in an energy efficient front loading machine! Many people think that bubbles is what gets your clothes clean...WRONG! I was scared that my clothes were going to smell like Ivory soap, but after they were done in the washer they had the lightest scent. You really couldn't smell anything. I put them in the dryer and used my normal amount of dryer sheets and they came out just like any other load of laundry I've done before. ***Tip***When putting clothes in the dryer, make sure you shake each article of clothing out. This cuts down on drying time which will save you money!

I recommend making a batch of homemade detergent for your family. It would be a fun project with the kids! This could even be a science fair project if you have older children. Another fun idea would be having a Green Living Party. Invited a bunch of friends over and have everyone make homemade laundry detergent and other cleaning products (I plan on blogging about homemade cleaning products later).